Suspect in attack says he's gay, not a rapist

Daniel Cabrera, 23, was arrested in connection with an attempted… (Orange County Jail, Orange…)

October 26, 2010|By Amy L. Edwards, Orlando Sentinel

A 21-year-old woman who fended off her attacker while getting a good look at his face and a tipster who gave detectives details about a man covered in scratches helped Orange County detectives track down a rape suspect, according to a Sheriff's Office report released Tuesday.

The six-page report also details what the suspect, eventually identified as 23-year-old Daniel Cabrera, told detectives in his defense of the allegation: he is gay.

The woman told detectives the attack occurred late Oct. 19, when she walked home on South Goldenrod Road from the local Walmart.

After she passed the intersection of Quail Pond Street, the woman said, a man grabbed her from behind, restrained her in a "bear hug," and then pulled her into the woods.

The woman said her she screamed for help, and her attacker tried to cover her mouth with his gloveless hands.

Though it was difficult to breathe, the woman continued to fight. She pleaded for the man to let her go.

The man, whose face was partially covered, tried to remove the woman's underwear and tried to kiss her on the face. He punched her in the mouth with his fist, according to the report.

During the struggle, whatever covered the attacker's face came off. The woman got a good look at his face. The woman told deputies she scratched the man in the face and bit him on the hand, possibly on his finger.

The report doesn't specify how the woman escaped, but soon after, she spotted a deputy parked at the Winn-Dixie at Goldenrod and Curry Ford roads and banged on his window.

Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Rich Mankewich said every victim reacts differently, and in this case, not only was the woman able to escape, but she gave a detailed description of the attacker.

"She did whatever it had to take to get out of their alive," Mankewich said.

The Sheriff's Office released a composite sketch of the suspect to the media and said the man would have scratches on his face.

On Friday, a tipster told detectives he knew about a man who had scratches on his arms and face. When a relative asked the man about the injuries, he told them he was robbed.

The tipster, who didn't know Cabrera's name, told a detective the man worked at a packing company in the area of West Michigan Street and South Orange Avenue. He also gave investigators an address for Cabrera's home on Pine Hawk Lane.

The address is less than one mile from where the attack occurred. The tipster also said Cabrera has a history of assaulting women in the Dominican Republic. Detectives went to the packing facility and talked to Cabrera. He agreed to go to the Sheriff's Office with investigators, where he denied any involvement in the attack.

He told a detective the cuts on his arms and neck were caused by a machine at work. Cabrera said he was with his cousin the night of the attack and he stayed at his house until 3 a.m. But a detective called Cabrera's cousin, who denied seeing the man that night.

A detective asked Cabrera about his alleged past in the Dominican Republic. Cabrera said he was gay and he had no history with women.

At one point, Cabrera started to cry and said he needed to change, but didn't know how. The report said Cabrera insinuated he was a bad person. Cabrera denied the allegation made against him and told the detective he would be "another innocent man sent to jail," according to the report.

Meanwhile, a detective showed the victim a photographic lineup that contained a picture of Cabrera. The report said she immediately identified the photograph of Cabrera and began to cry. A detective asked the woman how sure she was of the identity of her attacker.

She replied, "one-hundred percent," the report said.

Cabrera remains at the Orange County Jail. He denied a request to be interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel.

The attack is one of several on the east side of Orange County in recent years. However, detectives do not think the most recent is related to the others.